


Act Four Scene Sixteen

by torestoreamends



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-30 00:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11452329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torestoreamends/pseuds/torestoreamends
Summary: Albus meets Scorpius on the castle steps before dinner after talking to his dad in the graveyard. Now he’s had time to reflect on his and Scorpius’s earlier encounter on the stairs he has some things he needs to say.





	Act Four Scene Sixteen

**Author's Note:**

> One of my friends and I were talking about how different Samuel and Theo’s Act Four, Scene Fourteen feels to Sam and Anthony’s. It’s easy to believe, from the tone they play it with, that Samuel and Theo’s Scorpius and Albus might end up getting together over dinner that evening, rather than taking years to figure things out, so that’s what I decided to try and write. 
> 
> Expect a slightly different feel to this Scorpius and Albus than any I’ve written before. I’m still working on figuring out how to write Theo’s Albus, but I hope I did an alright job here! 
> 
> Thanks to Abradystrix for being an awesome beta as always! (I promise I’ll send you more stuff to read soon. If only I could stop procrastinating on things like this!)

They meet on the steps outside the castle. It’s a glorious, warm evening, and after the wild Quidditch celebrations of earlier everything is very quiet and still. As Albus walks up the lawn a golden sunset lights the windows, making them glitter like jewels under the darkening blue sky. Scorpius, perched halfway up the steps, seems to glow as the sunshine streams down on him. His head is bowed, and he’s buried in his book, utterly engrossed. The breeze ruffles his pale hair, and he seems lost to anything beyond whatever story or fact he’s being told.

Albus drops his hoodie on the ground as he sits next to Scorpius on the steps. He’d taken it off while he and his dad were sitting on the grass just a bit away from the graveyard. It’s been a hot day, perfect for sitting outside in the shade and talking things through, but Albus is glad it’s beginning to cool down now.

He plucks at the sleeve of Scorpius’s robes. “Are you not melting in there?”

Scorpius jumps and looks up, but when he sees Albus he breaks into a grin and shuts his book with a snap. “It’s a pleasantly warm evening, but when you’re sitting still the breeze can be chilly. So no, I'm not melting. I’m perfectly fine, thank you.”

Albus shakes his head. “I think you’re thermo-deficient. Do you remember Godric’s Hollow? You called it a moderately cold day. It was snowing, Scorpius. _Snowing_. And freezing cold.”

Scorpius draws himself up with great dignity and looks at Albus. “Just because my thermostat is moderate and well-balanced, doesn’t mean I have a problem. Maybe you’re the one with the problem.”

Albus laughs and shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, I can’t help what you think.” Scorpius snaps his book open and reads a couple of lines, like he’s trying to make a point of taking the moral high-ground, and in that small space of time Albus tries to drag his thoughts into some sort of order, so he doesn't waste this opportunity. 

He hadn’t known what he was going to say when he walked up here. So much has happened today, so many confusing and enlightening conversations. It's strange how the earlier moment he and Scorpius had shared on the stairs, and the meeting with his dad in the graveyard, have somehow become conflated in his mind. They're wrapped up together, some of the things he and his dad had said connecting with what had happened with Scorpius. And although he has no idea how he's going to go about using what he's learned from his dad to say what he needs to now, at least he's here now, and Scorpius is next to him, it doesn't feel as terrifying as he'd thought it would. He's not even sure why he thought Scorpius would be difficult to talk to. He's Scorpius, and even though so much has happened in the last few hours, nothing has really changed. Not the things that matter most anyway. 

“So,” Scorpius says, closing his book again, apparently deciding he’s made his point now. “How was your walk?” He puts all the stress on the last word, and pulls a face.

Albus nods. “It was good,” he says. “It was-” He thinks of the feeling of his dad’s arm around his shoulders and he can’t help but smile. “It was good.”

Scorpius gives him a gentle nudge. “That’s really informative. Thanks for that assessment. ‘It was good.’ Brilliant.”

Albus nudges him back. “What do you want me to say? It _was_ good. We talked, and-” He shrugs and glances sideways to see Scorpius grinning at him. “What?” He laughs, batting at him. “Scorpius!”

Scorpius puts his book down on the step and shuffles round to face Albus. He gives a little shrug and his grin fades to a soft smile. “You look happy. Did it really go that well?”

Albus bows his head and looks down at the smooth stone step. “We talked about everything. You know, _everything_. Craig. Cedric. Voldemort… My dad told me-” He grins and glances at Scorpius. “He told me he’s afraid of pigeons.”

Scorpius screws his face up. “Harry Potter is afraid of pigeons?”

“Apparently.”

Scorpius considers this for several seconds, then shakes his head. “Did you talk about anything less strange? I mean, I know you and your dad are weird, but that’s pretty weird Albus.”

Albus thinks, running through all the things they said to each other, and trying to find something that doesn’t feel too personal. There’s so much of the conversation that he wants to keep to himself for now. Normally he’d share everything with Scorpius, and maybe he will later on, but at the moment…

“We talked about me being in Slytherin,” he says finally. “Just a little bit. I know I shouldn’t have worried about it, but- I think it’s nice to know it’s not a problem...”

Scorpius watches him intently, eyes glinting silver in the evening sunlight. “I didn’t know you were still worrying about that.”

Albus shuffles on the step. “Not worrying. But… It’s nice to know what my dad’s thinking sometimes, you know?”

Scorpius nods. “I know. Of _course_ I know. My dad’s like a brick wall emotionally.” He buries his face in his hands and Albus reaches across and pats him on the shoulder.

“He’s getting better though isn’t he?”

Scorpius snorts. “Oh yeah. The other weekend he actually laughed at a joke I told. I nearly died of shock. I didn’t think he knew how to laugh.”

Albus points at him. “Now you’re just being overdramatic.”

“Overdramatic?” Scorpius says, putting a hand on his heart and looking deeply offended. “Me? Albus, please.”

Albus smiles and nudges him, then he looks down at his hands and his smile fades. He should probably just do this. Just say what he’s here to say. It feels like the moment has come, and there’s no avoiding it any longer.

He swallows and looks sideways at Scorpius who’s still watching him, a little frown creasing his forehead. He looks beautiful, glowing, the dying light bathing his face a rich orange. Albus can tell that he’s completely unaware of just how good he looks right now. Their eyes meet and Albus doesn’t look away.

“We talked about you, too,” he says softly.

Scorpius’s frown deepens and he leans back, confused. “About me?”

Albus nods. “Yes.” He shuffles on the step again, and picks his hoodie up off the ground, folding it across his lap to give himself some thinking time. “We talked about how I’m friends with you, and I told Dad that it isn’t going to stop. I said that I need you, and that I’m really glad you’re my best friend.”

“And…” Scorpius pauses, mouth working as he tries to pick out the right words. “Wh- what did he say to that?”

Albus looks him dead in the eye. “He said he understood. And he said that he’s happy we have each other, that we’re friends, that- that there’s someone in my life like you.”

Scorpius blinks several times, very fast, his eyes sparkling all of a sudden. “That’s- that’s good.”

Albus nods. “I think so.”

Scorpius looks down at his hands, and a small smile creeps onto his face. “That _is_ good. Harry Potter thinks it’s okay for me to be friends with his son…” His smile breaks into a grin, and he clasps his hands together in his lap.

Albus leans toward Scorpius. “Harry Potter’s son wouldn’t care if he thought it wasn’t okay,” he says, firing up. “It doesn’t matter. I’m glad he’s not being stupid any more, but even if he was-” He stops dead, looking at Scorpius, the words suddenly deserting him.

Scorpius looks back, confused. “Even if he was?”

Albus swallows. “Even if he was, I would still-” He takes a breath and shakes his head. He needs to go back. He needs to explain. He’s missed everything out, and it wasn’t meant to come out like this. He needs to start again.

“Dad and I,” he says, slow, uncertain. “Dad and I talked about not understanding each other. We talked about that a lot. And he said he felt like we’d missed each other. You know, with the blanket and everything. And it was like we just hadn’t seen where we were both coming from. Which I think was right.” He looks at Scorpius and sees that he’s frowning again.

“Albus, I’m not following. What does this have to do with us?” Scorpius asks, gesturing back and forth between them.

Albus sighs. “I’m just trying to explain… Please let me do this.”

Scorpius sits back and holds his hands up. “Sorry. Go on. I’m listening.”

Albus crosses his legs on the step below him and smooths a crease out of his jumper. “I think Dad was right. About us missing one another. And it was awful. I don’t want to do that again. And I definitely don’t want to do that with you.” He dares a glance at Scorpius.

He’s sitting back on the step now, mouth open like he wants to speak, but when he sees Albus looking he quickly closes it again and motions for him to continue. He curls his fingers together in his lap, and the frown is back, as his eyes dart over every inch of Albus’s face, trying to read him, but not seeming to manage it.

Albus draws in a long breath, and thinks about everything they’ve been through in the last year; everything that Scorpius has said to him. He thinks of Scorpius looking at him, glowing in the light of the rising sun, and telling him that he’s his best friend. He thinks of Scorpius sitting on the bed in the dorm, looking down at his feet and quietly admitting that he’d thought of him when facing the Dementors in the other world. He thinks of Scorpius surrounded by a swirl of falling snow, telling him that if he had to choose a companion for the return of eternal darkness, he’d choose him. And he thinks of Scorpius just hours ago, looking up at him with vulnerable uncertainty, and talking about the new version of them he has in his head, and he remembers the fear and excitement and hope he’d felt when he thought about what that might mean.

This is important. This is the right thing to do.

“What you said earlier,” he says. “After you hugged me…” He runs a hand through his hair and looks at Scorpius. “Should we talk about that? I know how I felt but I don’t know what you meant, and I want to understand.”

Scorpius gives a tiny shrug, and twitches his fingers, apparently thinking hard. “I don’t know what I meant. I-I think I meant… Well.” He shakes his head. “Haven’t things changed, between us? After everything we went through? Doesn’t it feel different now?”

Albus nods. “Yes. It does.”

“Exactly. So… So now what do we do?” Scorpius looks at him, and he looks lost. “I don’t know what we are now. Or where we are. Or what I think of us. I’m confused. And I’ve only felt like this once before and I didn’t much like it then either. But… But this isn’t as bad as that. It’s just a bit… overwhelming. And I don’t know. Maybe I’d just really like some clarity. Maybe that would be really helpful.”

Albus shifts sideways on the step, closer to him, and he wants to put an arm round him just because he looks so uncertain, but he holds himself back. “I didn’t hug you earlier,” he says. “I didn’t hug you back. And it wasn’t because I didn’t want to – I really did – but I just… We made rules, didn’t we? We decided all these things. And I didn’t want to break the rules because, well then where would we be? There’s a reason we had rules in the first place wasn’t there?” And he looks back at Scorpius, feeling just as lost as Scorpius looks.

“Sometimes rules are meant to be broken,” Scorpius says in a quiet, tight little voice.

Albus smiles despite himself. “Did I just hear you, Scorpius Malfoy, say that rules are meant to be broken? What’s got into you?”

Scorpius shrugs. “I think I spent too much time with you. Saving the world. It’s been a terrible influence on me. And it’s made me-” He breaks off, cheeks going just a little pink. “Well. You’re a problem, Albus Severus Potter.”

“A good problem?” Albus asks without thinking, smiling and giving him a little nudge.

Scorpius shoots him a sideways look. “Just a problem.” He pinches his forehead with his fingers, then takes a breath and turns to Albus. “For the record, I’ve thought the no hugging rule was a stupid idea from the start.”

“Me too,” Albus says with a sigh, then he realises what he’s said and looks at Scorpius in shock. “Wait. So why did we even have that rule?”

“Because we’re idiots,” Scorpius says with a nod. “Complete idiots. Who don’t know what’s good for us.”

Albus reaches out a hand towards Scorpius’s shoulder, hesitant but hopeful. “So… can we hug now?”

Scorpius smiles. “We can.”

Albus wastes no time in shifting the last few inches across the step so he’s pressed against Scorpius’s side, and wrapping his arm around him. Scorpius grins and leans into him, sliding an arm loosely around his waist.

“I’m sorry I’m a problem,” Albus says, glancing at Scorpius.

Scorpius looks back at him, then lifts a hand to tidy up Albus’s hair. The feather-light touches send little shivers running down Albus’s spine. “You can’t help it,” he says. “And I think it’s a good thing to be. Most of the time. You keep life interesting."

Albus grins. "Good." He leans into Scorpius's hand and closes his eyes. The last rays of sunshine spilling from beyond the forest and mountains warm his face and make the space behind his eyelids shine rose red. He exhales and relaxes. 

This is going so much better than he thought it would. This doesn't feel too difficult. This is just nice. Just another conversation. A conversation with Scorpius, so of course it's okay. 

"What clarity did you want?" He asks after several long, luxurious, comfortable moments. 

Scorpius gives a sharp intake of breath. "Oh. Well I just..." his fingers withdraw from Albus's hair, and Albus opens his eyes, disappointed. "I think it was mostly the hugging," Scorpius continues. "But I've also been wondering... wondering how you feel about me now." 

"I love you," Albus blurts out before he can stop himself. The second he realises what he's said he sits back, withdrawing his arm, and shakes his head. "I-I mean I..." Scorpius is looking at him. Really looking at him, in that way he does, intense and focused, full of meaning and emotion, most of which Albus can't understand. 

Albus swallows. He's trapped now. It's the truth so he can't take it back. But it's also a massive overstep. He's not allowed to say things like that, is he? But it's not like he can unsay it. And okay. He definitely relaxed too much because this suddenly isn't easy at all. 

"I do," he says, because it's the only thing he can say. "Love you. I do." He keeps his eyes on Scorpius, not wanting to look away at a time as important as this, as much as he wants to. "You know. You're my best friend. You saved the world with me. You- You're you. And I... love you." 

He flops his hands in his lap, feeling useless. He has no idea what else to say. Isn't it supposed to be some sort of grand declaration when you tell someone you love them? Aren't you supposed to have fireworks and roses and poems and whatever else? But he just has the marble step, and the breeze ruffling the manicured lawn, and the sun sending the castle wall butter-yellow behind them, and the Giant Squid basking in the shallows of the lake off in the distance. And he has Scorpius staring at him too, open-mouthed, eyes wide and bright. 

Albus looks at him, all words having deserted his brain. He doesn't know how to speak anymore. His throat feels dry. Now the most important words have escaped him he doesn't seem to have any left at all. 

Scorpius doesn't seem to be doing much better. He opens his mouth, then closes it again, then opens his mouth, and closes it once more, pursing his lips together. If this wasn't such a dire and embarrassing situation, Albus might laugh at him. He looks like a Gulping Plimpy. 

"So," Scorpius says finally, then he shakes his head and buries his face in his hands for a moment. "So it's not just me then?" He looks up at Albus, and Albus stares at him, confused. 

"What's not just you?" 

Scorpius gestures a finger at him. "You... you love me too?" 

Albus blinks at him. His brain seems to be running very slowly. He hears what Scorpius is saying but his mind refuses to process it, because if he's saying what Albus thinks he's saying... that's too much to take in. 

"I said I-" He swallows. "Are you saying that you... You feel the same?" 

Scorpius leans back on the step and surveys Albus. There's a little curl of hair falling across his forehead that glints like a thread of spun gold. Albus wants to brush it aside, but he keeps his hands to himself. 

"Yes," he says. "Yes, I do." 

Albus's heart gives a wild, joyful swoop, and he tries not to grin too widely, but he can feel his cheeks already beginning to ache. "So- so you love me and I love you?" 

"Yes," Scorpius says, shooting Albus a look of despair. "That is sort of how it works you know. With friendships or- or whatever. It does tend to be a mutual thing. I mean, not always, but a lot of the time. So yes. You love me and I love you." 

Albus folds his hands in his lap and beams at him. "Okay! So now what?" 

Scorpius's smile fades infinitesimally into puzzlement. "What do you mean, now what?" 

Albus shrugs. "What do we do now? Now that we love each other? What do we..." he trails off. "Are we supposed to do anything differently? What does it mean?"

Scorpius looks at him, and there's a small hint of doubt in his expression. He looks just a little lost, and Albus wants nothing more than to help him find himself, although he has no idea how. 

"I..." Scorpius sighs. "I don't know, Albus. I don't even know what I want it to mean. I just... feel that way. I'm sorry." 

Albus shakes his head and shifts back across beside him on the step. "No. That's okay. Maybe we should just... keep going," he suggests, because it's the only thing he can think of that isn't terrifying, and right now, after everything, he wants a safe, smooth path for himself and Scorpius to walk down together. "Maybe we should just keep being friends, best friends, and see where we end up. But we have to be best friends who hug. Hugging is compulsory." 

Scorpius draws his knees to his chest and wraps his arms round them. "Is that okay with you?" 

"The hugging?" Albus asks. "That's more than okay." 

"I sort of meant everything else," Scorpius says, sweeping a hand in the direction of the world in general. "The just seeing thing." 

Albus thinks carefully, then nods. He has no idea what he'd want to be other than Scorpius's best friend. He doesn't even know what he's allowed to want to be. "Yes," he says. "That's okay too." 

"Good," Scorpius says, and his expression finally splits into a broad smile as he bounces a bit on the step. "That's good." And then he reaches out and grabs Albus's hand and pulls him into a tight hug. And this time Albus doesn't hesitate to hug him back.

The setting sun blazes orange and pink over the forest and mountains. The few fluffy clouds in the dusk sky shine silver and crimson. Albus can feel the warmth on his face as he buries it in Scorpius's shoulder and clings to him, fingers clutching at the folds of his robes. Scorpius's arms wrap tight around him and it feels like coming home. 

"I love you," he says, just because he can, and Scorpius ruffles his hair.

"And I love you." 

They pull apart and look at each other, right in the eye, for several long and wonderful seconds, in which they seem entirely alone in the world. Then Scorpius's stomach rumbles, very loudly, and Albus struggles to keep a straight face but ends up collapsing into giggles. 

"Am I keeping you from dinner?" He asks, when he finally manages to catch his breath. 

Scorpius, who looks mildly offended by Albus's laughter, rubs his stomach. "It is getting a bit late... and I was already hungry when you arrived..." 

"Well in that case I'm even more sorry," Albus says, unable to stop himself grinning. He gets to his feet and offers Scorpius a hand up off the step. "Next time we can keep the emotional talk until after we've eaten."

Scorpius grabs his hand and nods. "I like that plan." He hauls himself upright, carrying his book with him, but once he's up he doesn't let go of Albus's hand. 

"I'm hoping it'll be something good tonight," he says. "Roast beef maybe? Anything but salmon again. I nearly threw up last night." 

Albus looks down at their entwined fingers and wonders if this is part of just seeing... If it is, he thinks he's pretty okay with it. It's certainly different, but Scorpius's hands have always been soft and warm, and Albus is more than okay holding onto them. 

"It can't be roast beef," he says, giving Scorpius's fingers a gentle squeeze. "It's not Sunday." 

"And why does that matter?" Scorpius asks, pushing open the doors into the Entrance Hall and leading the way into the cool shade. 

"Because you're supposed to have roast dinners on Sunday?" Albus says, bumping his shoulder into Scorpius's. "Everyone knows that." 

And as the Entrance Hall doors swing closed behind them, blocking out the dying rays of sunset, they keep arguing and holding hands all the way into the Great Hall. And for the first time in as long as he can remember, Albus doesn't have a care in the world. 


End file.
